Marimbas and Drumming

To play the marimba and djembe drums require vital skills that learners need to learn effectively i.e. Memory, Sequence, Concentration and Focus. The latter are the building blocks to successful learning across all scholastic content. By playing the marimba weekly learners at Shelanti practice these skills in a fun and creative way. Memory is the process by which knowledge is stored, encoded and later retrieved. Sequential memory requires items to be recalled in a specific order i.e. days of the week, months of the year.

Visual sequential memory is the ability to recall information seen in sequence while auditory sequential memory is the ability to recall information heard in sequence. Many students with reading and spelling difficulties have poor sequential memory. A word is represented by a specific sequence of letters and a sentence a specific sequence of words.

A further advantage of playing marimbas is that learners need to concentrate and focus when playing. Learners with good concentration skills are able to retain and apply knowledge effectively.

Concentration is the ability to focus the attention on one single thought or subject, excluding everything else from the field of awareness. The ability to focus the attention is one of the most important abilities one should possess. Focus is so important because it is the gateway to all thinking: perception, memory, learning, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making.